This refers to the report, “Gaza debate on Monday” (July 18). The eagerness to express people’s concern over the crisis in Gaza in Parliament is justified. But when the world watches Parliament, it will expect a clear stand. A proper debate, with equal representation to the ruling party and the Opposition, will raise India’s global stature. In a fast-changing global scenario, India needs to form and develop a new approach to regional issues.
Ishna Shahi,
Panchkula, Haryana
This refers to the first letter in this column (on July 17) where the writer said that “Israel targets terrorists and Hamas targets civilians.” According to BBC, 213 people have been killed since the start of the violence on July 8, due to Israeli air strikes, all of them civilians and many of them children. According to the U.N., more than 40 children have died in the last 10 days in Gaza. Are all these children and innocent civilians terrorists? The world should not remain insensitive to such barbarism and must pressure Israel to stop such violent acts.
Shaik Khaleel Rahman,
Hanamkonda
It is strange that the Opposition wants to debate the Gaza issue and stalls the Rajya Sabha for a few hours. When there are so many other important issues to be discussed, such as price rise, the state of the economy and violence against women, why do we want to talk about problems in another part of the world? We should follow China’s model of not taking sides and progress economically with single-minded focus before proceeding to interfere in the internal matters of other countries.
K. Natarajan,
Hyderabad
The whole point of discussing matters of other foreign lands and which do not affect India/Indians, even if done under the garb of “humanity,” seems futile. Unfortunately, many who support Palestine on the social media seem to be adopting a communal and religion-centric position. Is a discussion in Parliament going to affect the ground situation there? When we have not even bothered to talk about the ISIS menace and the danger to millions of our citizens, how does such a debate help?
K.B. Dessai,
Margao, Goa
The silence of the world over the killings in Palestine is deafening. Israel cannot continue its rhetoric of defending its citizens and blame Hamas’ rockets. The right to defend seems to be like the right to kill in Israel’s context. Mr. Yahel Vilan’s letter (July 17) was uncalled for. Muslims are neither influenced nor inspired in any way by terrorist organisations as he says. We can see the truth for ourselves and distinguish the oppressed from the oppressors.
Bushra Amatul Moizz,
Hyderabad
Mr. Vilan seems to have selectively forgotten some basic facts in his rebuttal to The Hindu ’s Editorial. Nobody has condemned the use of the ‘Iron Dome’ missile defence system in protecting Israeli civilians. Rather, it is Israel’s aggression toward Palestinian civilians that has been and is to be condemned from a humanitarian point of view. While equating Hamas with radical terrorist organisations, he forgets that his government’s stance towards the more moderate, secular PLO is what spawned Hamas. Also, he forgets that the other organisations were funded and nurtured by the West, at least in the initial stages. If you forget history, then you will be condemned to repeat it. There will be no end to this conflict unless Israel recognises the sovereignty of the Palestinian state and respects the rights of Palestinians.
S. Shineson,
Chennai
